Cross-Channel Integration: The Integrated Shopper

What's in a name? When it comes to the three brands I've looked at this month … everything.

The sign of a great brand isn't only name recognition, but the image you get in your head when you hear the name. You should immediately feel something when the name is mentioned. The best brands allow you to see something as well. Distinct visual images should pop into your head at the mere mention of the name. Crate & Barrel, Dean & DeLuca and Williams-Sonoma are masters at this — three very recognizable names, each with a distinct brand positioning and an identifiable visual aesthetic. Because they're so good at what they do, it made it difficult to find weaknesses in their execution, but there are some. Let's take a close look to see how these three popular brands deliver across multiple sales channels.

Crate & Barrel
I first looked at Crate & Barrel's Holiday Inspiration 2012 catalog. I always look forward to receiving Crate & Barrel catalogs in the mail because, in my opinion, they're some of the best in the business. While other catalogers continue to fill every square inch of their books with as much product as possible, Crate & Barrel realizes that the role of the catalog has changed … dramatically. The retailer no longer expects to sell every product it offers in its catalog. Crate & Barrel understands that the primary role of its catalog is to be a driver of traffic to its website and/or brick-and-mortar stores. A brand's catalog should incite action, tell a story, engage and promote the brand. And yes, sell.

Talk about storytelling. Crate & Barrel's catalog was filled with stories about the holidays, friends and family, relationships, and memories. I couldn't put it down. From the warm and inviting cover to the authentic-feeling photography (actually showing products being used in real-life situations, messy and all) to the short yet sensational copy, this book was a masterpiece. Integrated throughout were all kinds of ways for consumers to engage with the brand — e.g., references to videos about the relationship between a mother and daughter or a grandfather and grandson, apps you could download to access 200 cocktail recipes, instructions on how to order free custom party invitations, etc. This wasn't just a catalog filled with products, it was a way to connect with the brand on my terms in a variety of ways. It made me want to go to a Crate & Barrel store. Mission accomplished.

I checked out Crate & Barrel's website next. The theme started in its catalog continued online: fresh, clean design with no clutter, no screaming promotions and no clunky navigation. Everything seemed to be stripped down to the bare essentials. Things were easy to find. All of the "engagement" techniques used in the catalog now paid off on the web. There were the videos, the downloadable apps, the recipes. Truly a seamless shopping experience, I must say.

I then checked to see if Crate & Barrel had a mobile-friendly site on my iPhone. Yep, of course it did. It was optimized nicely to fit the small screen, yet didn't lose any of the flavor and functionality of the desktop site. Nice and efficient.

Finally, I visited a Crate & Barrel store. This was an obvious strength of the brand. From the minute I pulled into the parking lot, the unique architecture of the building — custom designed for Crate & Barrel — set the tone for what was inside. It felt like the catalog had come to life. The entire space was clean, organized and modern. A friendly clerk who obviously had good taste, based on her wardrobe and funky glasses, greeted me. She looked like she belonged. In fact, several of the employees that I spoke with during my time in the store were all extremely friendly and knowledgeable. These weren't just sales people, they were lifestyle experts. They made the experience a memorable one.

All in all, my experience with Crate & Barrel's various sales channels was flawless. The attention to detail was unmatched. There's a reason why this is one of my favorite brands. Actually, there are many reasons. If you feel the need to copy someone, copy these guys. Crate & Barrel gets an A.

Dean & DeLuca
Dean & DeLuca's catalog was a sharp contrast to Crate & Barrel's. The design was clean and simple with nice attention to detail, but it's full of product … and that's ALL. No environments, no lifestyle imagery, no people, no stories, no opportunities to engage on another level; just product photos silhouetted against a white page with a paragraph of copy and a price. Not exactly inspiring. There were a few "Looking for ideas?" callouts that included a phone number to call to speak with a personal shopper(a great idea), but it wasn't enough.

If Dean & DeLuca is passionate and knowledgeable about food, then prove it. Don't just try to sell me stuff. What about sharing recipes or showing images of people enjoying food and wine, or maybe reference videos of interviews with chefs? Use your catalog to give me a reason to engage with your brand. Make me want to visit your store or go online for more. Tell me something about Dean & DeLuca that I didn't know. This was an attractively designed catalog that didn't do enough.

Dean & DeLuca's website had a similar design aesthetic: clean, simple, white with nice attention to detail. Quintessential Dean & DeLuca. Immediately you notice the white marble surface and black chalkboard that's so prevalent in the brand's stores. Nice carryover. The "Personal Shopper" mentioned in the catalog was easy to find on the homepage. I love this idea! The homepage also listed recipes. Why not include these in the catalog? Missed opportunity. Dean & DeLuca also included customer reviews and ratings on the web, but not in its catalog. Why not? This is a perfect example of a brand not making the two experiences seamless. Even though both the catalog and website were very well designed, they didn't function together. This has to change for today's consumers.

I pulled up Dean & DeLuca's website on my iPhone … and it wasn't optimized for mobile. Ouch. Trying to navigate its full site by zooming in and out on my phone proved impossible and I gave up. I wonder how many other people have done the same?

Next was a visit to a Dean & DeLuca store. This is where the brand shines. The store experience was amazing! I was immediately greeted upon entering with the sound of people laughing and enjoying coffee together. The classical music playing in the background added a sophisticated flair and the energy in the store was palpable. People eating, drinking, tasting, talking, sharing, shopping, lingering. Wow! Even the guys behind the counter dressed in their white chef's jackets handing out samples of cheese and meat seemed to add an extra layer of impressiveness.

Even though Dean & DeLuca is a national chain, this place felt like a local purveyor of fine foods, not a cookie-cutter storefront. Not easy to do. Being a designer by trade, I was drawn to the beautiful packaging and label design of all their products. The typography was impeccable. This elegant tastefulness made me want to buy something. Anything. Never underestimate the power of good design. It matters.

Dean & DeLuca is a great brand with great products. Its store was amazing, its website was a pleasure to shop and its catalog was attractive. Unfortunately today, that's not enough. All of these things have to work together because consumers don't view them as separate channels. There's room for improvement here. Dean & DeLuca gets a B-.

Williams-Sonoma
I'm not sure what Williams-Sonoma did with its catalog in recent years, but it seemed like the brand had lost its way. What was once a powerhouse in the industry slowly turned into a mediocre book that was no longer special. Williams-Sonoma had lost its mojo. I'm glad to report that with its Holiday 2012 catalog, Williams-Sonoma seems to be back on track. In fact, the catalog is quite impressive. Big, bold photography coupled with stories that get at the heart of what makes its products better, this book does many things right. The pacing of the layouts makes flipping through it an adventure, one discovery after another. Williams-Sonoma provides gift ideas for all budgets, advice on how to make the perfect pot of beans and recipes throughout. Really, really nice.

Williams-Sonoma's website is equally impressive. Same big, bold photography, same expert advice and same depth of information. The brand manages to offer a lot of stuff without making it feel overwhelming. I can buy a lot of these same products elsewhere, but Williams-Sonoma makes a good case for why I should buy them from it. I love the way it's arranged the navigation by "gifts by category, gifts by occasion, gifts by price, gifts by recipient." This allows me to shop the way I choose. Overall, a nice experience.

Thankfully, Williams-Sonoma did have a mobile-optimized website. The mobile site was easy to use and navigate, however, it took awhile to dig through several layers of options before I could find what I was looking for. Also, the mobile version of Williams-Sonoma's site seemed to lose a lot of the brand's personality, whereas Crate & Barrel was able to maintain its in this limited channel.

Then came the store visit. Ugh … disappointing. If I hadn't seen the sign on the door, I wouldn't have known I was in a Williams-Sonoma store. Nothing unique or special stood out. The interesting stories I found in the catalog and online were missing in-store. Maybe the clerks were tasked with delivering those messages, but they didn't. In fact, they were too busy talking to each other to even notice me. I wondered if I had just caught them on a bad day, so I went to another location. Same deal. Disappointing.

Overall, the Williams-Sonoma brand seems to be finding its way back after drifting in "vanilla land" for years. But it has to tighten up the store experience if it expects to be king of the hill again. Williams-Sonoma gets a C.

This exercise shows how difficult it is to perfectly align all of a brand's various sales channels to create a perfectly seamless shopping experience. Even these three brands, three of the biggest names in the retail industry, fall a little short in some areas. I guess if it were easy, everyone would be doing it. Kudos to Crate & Barrel for showing us that it can be done.

Brent Niemuth is a partner and the creative director at J.Schmid & Assoc., a multichannel marketing consulting firm. Brent can be reached at brentn@jschmid.com.